Tagging machine



April 28, T925. 1,535,693

F.Fl SFHQVV TAGGING MACHINE Filed June 2],. 192g Q' WAGQMW L IN VEN TOR.

A TTORNEY5.

Patented Apr. 28,1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. FRAnK straw, or EAST BRIDGEWATER. MASSACHUSETTS, lissronon, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, T HAYES-FAY LABORATORIES, mm, or BOSTON MASSACI-IUSET TSQ CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS;

. raeenve MACHINE.

Application filed June 21, 1922. Serial No. 569,918

ToaZZ whom it may concern:

7 Be it known that I, FRANK R. SHAW, of East Bridgewater, in the county of Plymouth and State of Massachusetts, a citizen of the United States, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Tagging Machines, of which the following is a specification.

. Bolts of cloth areusually wound on strips of board or cardboard to which some label or identifying device is attached; for ex ample,a tag attached totlie board by means of astring. The string attached to the tag has usually been cut the length and fastened to the-board by hand. The purpose of my invention is. to provide mechanism by which this may be done, and in the draw ings I have shown the mechanism combined with a staplingmachine of well known 0on struction and arranged sojthat the string will be cut and attached to the board by a staple. The tag thereafter may be attached to the string in any convenient way.

The invention will be understood by ref erence to the drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a machine embodying my invention in its preferred form; I

Fig. 2 being a front view thereof.

M Fig. 3 shows the, product of the machine.

Fig-Q4 is a detail showing in side elevation the board and the position of the pliers after the string has been attached to the board. Figs. 5 and 6 are details showing the y pliers in open and closed positions.

"Fig. 7 is a View showing a fragment of the feed disk and the-clips for holding the string to the disk, both in elevation and sec-' tion. Fig. 8 is detail showing a portion of the disk and the means fOropening the clips to allow the string to enter: the groove in the disk, and

Fig. 9 is a sectlonthrough the axis of the disk.

The stapling machine which is shown in connection with our string-applying apparatus and is supported in some convenient way, compr ses a table 1 on which 1s mounted a support 2 carrying the power shaft 3. 4; is

a pulley attached to the power shaft carrying a belt 5 by which it is connected to a suitable source of power. 6 and 7 are housings for devices of well known charac-f ter operated by the power shaft to term and drive staples made from the wire 8-, mechanisms within the parts 6 and 7 being of a well known character and operated from the power shaft 3 in a' wellknown manner, and hence they are not described. As'f shown this mechanism is of a typemanufactured by the Boston lVire Stitcher Company and known as the Boston wire stitcherlf 9,10and 11 are cams mounted onshaft 3. A protecting housing for the string mechanism is formed by a casting having being such that the disk 17 is operated by i the ratchet when the ratchet isenga'gedby the pawl and the pawl is operated by the pinion 20 to which it is attached. g I

The pinion 20 is operated by therack 21 which as shown has a reciprocating movement in engagement with the pinion jsufli cient to give the pinion half a revolution with each upward movement of the rack and in turning the pinion it. causes the rotation of the disk by the engagement of the pawl 181 with the ratchet A spring 22 holds the pawl in engagement with the ratchet 171. The upper endof the rack 21 passes through a guide 23and is connected with an arm 24 by a slotted connection 251; the upper end of the arm being carried by a sleeve 25 mounted on a suitable stud held in support 28 and the cast ing 2. The support is located below and to one side of the shaft 3, and the" arm 24 is given a rocking motion by the cam '9 and arm 26 mounted on the sleeve 25, and the operation of this cam is such as to give to the rack 21 a reciprocation suflicient to move the disk 17 through an arc of 180 degrees. A spring 261 holds the arm 26 against. the cam 9.

27 is a knife which slides in a guide piece 271 mounted on the rear wall 121 of the housing, and is given a horizontal reciprocation through one of the slots 311 in disk 17 by means of the lever 272 operated by the cam 10. This lever is a bell crank and upon its horizontal arm rests a pin 29 suitably supported under the shaft 3, the upper end of which pin rests a ainst the periphery of the cam 10, a spring 3b holding it against the cam. This cam is shaped to give the knife 27 a horizontal movement whenever the disk 17 has turned half a revolution. It will be notedthat the disk 17 has not only the groove 18 therein but also has crosswise slots 31, 311 arranged 90 degrees apart. The disk is so mounted that whenever it is moved 180 degrees one of these slots 31 comes into register with the knife 27. 32 is a reel from which the string 33 is drawn. 34 are spring clips located about the periphery of the disk,'one on each side of each slot. The construction of these clips will be understood from Fig. 7. It will be seen from the sectional portion of Fig. 7 that the disk is recessed at intervals near its periphery to provide chambers to allow the clips 34 to lie flush with the surfaceof the disk, and that these clips comprise an elastic shank the outer end of which is thickened and spread so as to receive and hold the string in the groove 18.

'Fig; 8 is an enlarged view showing the clip opener 35. This opener comprises a bent or hook-shaped piece attached to the rear wall-121 of the housing, the outer end of the opener being beveled as at 36 so as to engage the endof each clip 34 as it passes by it and bend it back, thus opening the groove 18 and allowing the string 33 to pass within the groove 18 after which each clip is released and springs back into place and the string is held in place in the groove by the clip. These clips being on each side serve to assist in holding the string against the cutting disk of the knife and also presentthe string to the pliers by which it is drawn tothe stapling mechanism.

Suppose the groove 18 is filled with string (see Fig. 2) The reciprocation of the rack 21 will drive the disk 17 through an arc of 180 degrees so that a slot 31 will register with the knife blade 27. At this moment the cam operates the knife blade so that it cuts the string which is held by the clips 34. The string continues to lie as before in the groove about the periphery of the disk 17 and the part from the knife 27 round to the opposite slot is occupied by the cutoff section of the string.

-To bring the string into proper position for attachment to the board I provide pliers which are operated by the cam 11. 36 is a stud on the head of the machine. On this stud is mounted a swing-able arm 37 the outer end of which rests on the cam 11. This arm is connected by a link 38 with a segment gear 39 mounted on the stud 40 also carried by the head. The segment gear 39 meshes with a second segment gear 41 on stud 42 and carrying an arm 43. These parts are duplicated as shown in Fig. 2 and approach each other forming a yoke-shaped member to the single arm of which is pivoted a movable member 44 of the pliers which is shaped and arranged to co-operate with what may be termed the stationary member thereof, that is, the foot The upper end of this movable member or finger is connected by a spring 46 with the member 43 to hold the parts normally in closed posi tion. A cam lever pivoted to the member 43 is so shaped as when turned to engage the member 44 and separate the lower ends of the parts 43 and 44 so they may receive the string, the lower one of the members 44 being hook-shaped as at 48 so that it will engage and pun out the string from between the clips 34.

It will be noted from Fig. 1 that these pliers are of proper size to pass into one of the slots 311 in the periphery of the disk 17, and the swinging movement of these pliers is timed to pass into the uppermostslot 311 in the disk 17 while the disk is stationary and at the moment before the cutter 27 has cutoff the string. The hook-shaped end 48- of the member 43 passes under the string; the member 44 closes to grip the string and the knife then cuts the string oil". The cam 47 is operated just prior to the moment when the part 48 has reached its final forward position by means of the arm 50 which engages an adjustable stop 51 attached to an arm 52 forming part of the casting of the machine. A second arm 53 carrying also an adjustable stop 54 operates to return the cam 47 to its original position. The pliers therefore having reached in and secured the string as shown in Fig. 1 the string is cut off by the cutter 27 and the pliers then move it into the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, pulling out with it the cut-off piece of string which is guided by the clips 34 so that it lies over the end of the board 14 in looped position, the ends of the loop being in substantially parallel relation.

At this moment the staple driver operates to drive the staple 81 over the ends of the string loop as shown in Fig. 4 and at that moment, the pliers being in outward position. the cam 47 is turned by the engagement of the arm 50 with the stop 51 and opens the pliers so that they release the string. As shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1 the pliers have just reached the position where they are about to be opened by a slightly further segments.

At the same moment that the staple is driven to attach the string other staples may be driven in other locations, such as 541 if desired to attach a label or paper to the endot' the board. I

The clips 34 serve not only to hold the string in the groove of the disk as the disk turns and also against the cutter, but also serve as guides between which the ends of the loop are brought into and maintained in parallel relation as the loop is drawn off from the disk by the pliers.

It is believed. that the operation of my invention as shown will be understood from the foregoing. The string being carried once round the disk, the knife 27 operates to cut it moving through one of the slots 311 for the purpose. The pliers then move through the top slot 31, seize and draw the cut-off string from between the guides 34, laying it on the properly positioned work when the staple S1 is driven to hold its ends in place. The disk is then turned halt a revolution, and the operation is repeated.

\Vhile I have referred to the table 1 and the support2 as though they were two parts, they may well be made as a single casting, the part 1 being a flange to the support 2.

My invention is shown in the drawings in its preferred form, but I do not mean to limit myself to this construction. The purpose of my invention is to feed a length of string in sucln a manner that it will present its two ends to a means whereby it may be attached to a board or other piece of work, andincidentally it includes means for cutting from a continuous length of string pieces of the desired length.

What I claim as my invention is 1. A machine of the kind described comprising an intermittently moving disk grooved about its periphery and adapted to receive and carry a string from a supply. said disk having transverse slots located equidistant about its periphery and clips located one on each side of each of said slots whereby said stringwill be held in said groove, and means normally located out of the plane of said disk adapted to move into and out of the plane of said disk to engage the string between said clips and draw it from said groove.

2. A machine of the kind described comprising a disk adapted to carry string about its periphery, means for imparting an intermittent semi-rotation to said disk, and means located to move across the plane of said disk to draw a loop of string therefrom at an angle to said plane.

3. A machine of the kind described comprising a disk adapted to carry a string about its periphery, means for imparting an intermittent semi-rotation to said disk,

and means located to move across the plane of said disk todraw a loop of string therefrom, in combination with a knife adapted to engage and out said string operable when said disk is'atrest. 4. machineof the kind described comprising a disk having slots crosswise there in' equidistant apart, means for rotating said disk intermittently, means located to move across the plane of said disk into one of said slots and adapted to engage the string therein and withdraw it from said disk, in combination with a knife adapt ed to engage and out said string, said knife-being located with relation to said string-withdrawing mechanism whereby the middle of said string when out will'be pre sented to said withdrawing mechanism.

5. A machine of the kind described comprising means for drawing string from a supply, said means comprising a disk having four transverse slots therein located equidistant apart, a knife adapted to move into and cut the string at one or the other of said slots, means for withdrawing the string from another of said slots, and means located in close proximityto said withdrawing means and attached to said disk whereby the parts of the string will be held on the two sides of the withdrawing means in parallel relation while being withdrawn from the periphery of said disk.

6. A machine of the kind described comprising means for cutting a length of string from a supply and means for withdrawing said out length of string whereby it will be formed into a loop having its ends in parallel relation, in combination with means for attaching the ends of the string to :1

piece of work leaving the loop free.

7. In a machine for attachingthe ends of a loop of string to a piece of work, an intermittent string feed, a string cutter operable to cut off a length of string while said string feed is at rest, means adapted to move across the plane of said string feed for drawing the string in the-form of a loop from said string feed, andguides whereby the ends of the loop will be maintained in parallel relation and delivered to an attach ing mechanism, in coi'nbination with said attaching mechanism whereby the ends of the loop will be attached to the work.

8. In a machine of the kind described, a string feed comprising an intermittently rotating disk provided with a groove about its periphery, and means for rotating said disk intermittently comprising a recipro cating rack and a pinion, and connections between said pinion and said disk operable to turn said pinion to rotate said disk.

9. In a machine of the kind described, a string feed comprising a disk and means for rotating said disk intermittently, said disk having two sets of opposing slots at equal distances about its periphery, a reciprocating knife and a pair of pliers adapted to oscillate across the plane of said disk, said knife being adapted to move through one set of opposing slots to cut the string and said pliers beingadapted to move through the other set of opposing slots and draw off the cut string from the disk.

10. In a machine of the kind described comprising a string feed having slots across its periphery and a pair of pliers adapted to move into certain of said slots, grasp and draw the string therefrom, means for oscillating said pliers, and means located at the extremes of the oscillation of said pliers adapted to open said pliers, and means adapted normally to hold said pliers closed.

FRANK R. SHAV. 

